Honda Will Sell Natural Gas-Powered Civic GX

The Daily Auto Insider: Honda announced that it will begin limited retail sales in Southern California of a natural gas-powered Civic GX sedan.

Honda announced that it will begin limited retail sales in Southern California of a natural gas-powered Civic GX sedan, according to a news release.

The car will come with a new home-refueling appliance called Phill, which is billed as an "affordable home refueling appliance that allows drivers the convenience of refueling their vehicles at home using their existing natural gas supply."

Honda has marketed the GX for the past seven years but only to fleet operators who have their own dedicated fueling stations. A limited number of retail customers have also purchased the Civic GX, relying on the existing public natural gas refueling network, the company said.

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By offering the Civic GX with the Phill home refueling appliance, Honda says it is "expanding the appeal of this ultra-clean and convenient alternative to gasoline-powered transportation." Honda claims it is the only manufacturer currently offering a dedicated natural gas-powered passenger car to the general public in North America.

According to , the Civic GX is also the only vehicle distributed nationwide that is certified to the stringent EPA Tier 2-Bin 2 emissions standard and it meets California's Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emission Vehicle (AT-PZEV) standards. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has certified the U.S.-made Honda Civic GX as "the cleanest internal combustion engine-powered vehicle." The GX was the first vehicle to earn AT-PZEV status in California and the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) recently named the Civic GX as the "Greenest Vehicle of the Year" in overall environmental performance, ahead of even hybrid vehicles.

The 1.7-liter, 4-cylinder Civic GX comes with a continuously variable automatic transmission and has an MSRP of $21,760 plus destination and handling charges. Civic GX buyers can lease Phill through Honda dealers for approximately $34 to $79 per month (plus installation) depending on regional incentive programs.